Malala showing `good progress`, say UK docs

Birmingham: Doctors in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham who are treating Malala Yousufzai, the teenaged Pakistani education activist who was shot by the Taliban almost two weeks ago, have said the 15-year-old has shown good progress.

Malala, who earned international fame for raising voice against Taliban oppression in Swat, was shot in the neck and head and two other girls sustained injuries when the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) opened fire on their school van in Swat valley on October 9.

She was flown to the UK on October 15 for specialized treatment. An update on the Birmingham hospital`s website read that "the medical team caring for Malala say they are pleased with her progress".

It added that she is being looked after by staff from the Queen Elizabeth and Birmingham Children`s hospitals and remains in a stable condition, reports The Express Tribune.

According to reports, President Asif Ali Zardari`s daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari spent Eid with Malala`s family in Birmingham accompanied by the Pakistan High Commissioner to UK Wajid Shamsul Hassan. Aseefa said the whole of Pakistan is supporting Malala, who has now become a national symbol of peace‚ enlightenment and women empowerment.